PRESS RELEASE: Response To UMass Amherst Concert Cancellations

Holyoke, MA – Event production and promotion company, NV Concepts received word the morning of September 26th two more electronic dance music shows scheduled for this October at UMASS Amherst’s Mullins Center have been canceled and the administration is citing the drug, “Molly” as the reason. NV Concepts issues the following statement in response.

We at NV Concepts are disappointed in the University of Massachusetts administration’s decision to cancel the semester’s remaining electronic dance music concerts, Above & Beyond (10/04/2013) and Pretty Lights (10/30/2013). The decision’s impact goes beyond substantial financial loss to the great disappointment of UMASS students and fans throughout the region of both of these artists. While this was not a decision made by NV Concepts, we do extend to the students and EDM fans our sincerest apologies for yet another lost opportunity to enjoy the music that you love. We share in your disappointment. Please know that we are making every effort to relocate these shows and look forward to announcing the alternate venues. We continue, through various means, to promote the safety of our concert goers and seek to be an educational resource in the prevention of substance abuse. Therefore, we view these cancellations as a lost opportunity to collaborate with UMASS on this important effort.

We maintain a zero tolerance substance abuse policy. We always put first the safety of our concert goers and make every effort to ensure the venues we work with provide a safe environment as well. We continue to develop new measures to provide a concert environment that is both safe and fun. to this end, in addition to our long standing zero tolerance policy, we have developed a comprehensive plan to address growing concerns about safety and promote the healthy enjoyment of the musical experience. Our plan includes three pillars:

1 – Communication

Through our website, venue signage and literature made available at shows, we will

effectively communicate the dangers of substance abuse and share how concert-goers can

make good choices and care best for themselves and others.

2 – Venue Support

The NV Concepts TRACK Team, working in collaboration with each venue, will consist

Partnering with organizations that promote sobriety and abstinence, we will co-create

programs tailored to the electronic dance music community intended to raise awareness

and emphasize a message of abstinence from the use of illegal substances. Additionally, NV Concepts is currently laying the groundwork for the establishment of

Stay on TRACK, a 501c3 organization dedicated to drug education and awareness

specifically in relation to the electronic dance music (EDM) industry. It is our goal that these efforts will set the bar nationally for all facets of the EDM community and serve as a resource for this industry and its fans.

“Although UMASS has chosen not to collaborate with us on providing a positive experience for its students and other fans in the region, we do look forward to working with venues that share our mission and those professionals who understand that electronic dance music, its fans, and artists are not to blame for the tragedies brought on by individual choices. Music is our passion and will continue to be the focus of the business we love.” – Tim Bonito, NV Concepts Founder, UMASS, ‘99

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About NV Concepts

Massachusetts-based NV Concepts was founded in 2008 by Tim Bonito and Richard Hutchinson. An event production, promotions, and talent buying company, NV Concepts operates nationwide specializing in electronic dance music. Their arena level events have featured such artists such as Tiesto, deadmau5, Skrillex and many of the world’s biggest DJ’s. NV Concepts prides itself on delivering the best possible fan experience taking into account the difference electronic dance music makes in people’s lives and how it resonates within every person that attends a show.